As legalized gaming continues to increase in popularity, casinos and related gaming establishments seek to offer new wagering games to entertain their customers. Recently, casinos have been installing large numbers of electronic gaming machines in an effort to retain current patrons and to attract new customers. However, table games provide a different form of entertainment for customers who do not favor, or who need a break from, the often mundane electronic gaming machines. Thus, table games, although seemingly losing popularity, continue to be an integral feature to the success of any casino.
Widely offered table games include Blackjack, Craps, Roulette and Carribean Stud Poker. Unfortunately, the aforementioned table games have been in place for years and no longer exude their initial novelty. In addition, younger gaming patrons desire new and exciting games of chance. Nonetheless, it is important that new table games involve simple rules, traditional gaming indicia, and odds which both the player and the house can accept. Without the aforementioned characteristics, many new table games are likely to be short-lived. Another significant trend in table games is the opportunity to place side wagers having payouts larger than the payouts for the underlying game. For example, some Blackjack tables provide players with a side bet dependent upon the player being dealt Blackjack. If the player places the side wager and is then dealt Blackjack, the dealer causes an electronic wheel, having preestablished award amounts depicted thereon, to spin and stop such that the player wins an award above and beyond that associated with winning the underlying Blackjack game.
The embodiments of the present invention include each of the aforementioned characteristics and also provide a side wager opportunity for players. As a result, the embodiments of the present invention take advantage of the inherent features of currently successful table games.